Tattoo costs

Diceicle

IlikePostcards wrote: »

Now, I know I'm new to boards, and to Ireland in general, but the prices that you guys have quoted seem pretty outta this world for some ink. (unless you are quoting for full sleeves) I'm planning on getting one soon, but at these prices, I might just till I go home (washington dc) again.

In general I would pay about 100 euro for a good one, and the one I want, but still...

€80 - €100 (or $106 - $132) is probably about the average. Whats the average rate in DC? Any artist charging over €100 per hour in the current economy is either a moron or have a very high self-opinion, IMHO.
That €150 per hour is most likely someone taking advantage.

IlikePostcards

Oh gosh, now I have think in two different currencies again?! Well, there is one on my left shoulder that is about 2 in x 3 in in black and grey shading; a latin phrase on a scroll that coast me $ 40 US. I have a cross on my back and one on my ankle all about the same size. Can't remember what the other two cost. it sure wasn't 150 euro.

Dancor

eeyore2502 wrote: »

Pluto on Dorset Street charges 150 for the first hour and 100 per hour afterthat. I got work done by him last year and hubby is hopingto get work by him soon.

He didnt charge me that much. 250 for 3 hours work and im glad he didnt. Dont mean for this to turn into a hating thread, But he really cant justify that price or any price because the guy is a butcher. Im having his ''work'' fixed up right now and I know many people who need to aswell.

eeyore2502

dancor wrote: »

He didnt charge me that much. 250 for 3 hours work and im glad he didnt. Dont mean for this to turn into a hating thread, But he really cant justify that price or any price because the guy is a butcher. Im having his ''work'' fixed up right now and I know many people who need to aswell.

Sorry to hear you where not happy with your work, but I have to say I am very happy with my tattoo from him and would love to get another one but can't afford it at the moment. Everyone that has seen my tattoo also said the work was great.

Hope you get yours sorted nothing worse then paying for something and not being happy with it.

AmyTakesPhotos

Thats a complete and utter ripoff.
Ive 18 tattoos and have got them all done in "Oriental tattoo" in Bray. Yeah its a trek from where I live in Swords but there work is class and they charge you on how big ur design is.. none of them per hour ****e.
The most Ive paid for a big piece of work in there is 70 euro.
Theyre brillant artists and dont mind the fact its in bray.
Go have a look and talk to the artists about what u want

amazingemmet

To chime in on this one. At the end of the day you are paying an artist for their artwork, so they are entitled to charge what they feel their art is worth, you are also free to reject their price if you don't feel its worth that to you its a 50/50 thing. Its not the same as hiring a builder to put up a wall where there's 100's of other people who could do the exact same job at the same standard (unless we are talking about flash).

Personally if getting a piece done I'd go for the artist everytime and they can charge what they want as its something I'm gonna have forever so I'd prefer to know I spent that extra couple of hundred and got a quality piece of work rather then thinking in five years time, damn why was is so cheap back then.

Also as will pointed out you can save for these things, its yours for life once you get it does it really have to be done as soon as possible or can't you wait an extra year or two?

Diceicle

AmyTakesPhotos wrote: »

Thats a complete and utter ripoff.
Ive 18 tattoos and have got them all done in "Oriental tattoo" in Bray. Yeah its a trek from where I live in Swords but there work is class and they charge you on how big ur design is.. none of them per hour ****e.
The most Ive paid for a big piece of work in there is 70 euro.
Theyre brillant artists and dont mind the fact its in bray.
Go have a look and talk to the artists about what u want

€70 for a large piece?? Surely that can't be right? I suppose it depends on what "big" is defined as really, but for the sake of argument, if a large piece takes 3 hours, that means that the artist is only charging a little over €20!
Also, have you a link to this shops site? I'd be interested to take a look.

Diceicle

amazingemmet wrote: »

To chime in on this one. At the end of the day you are paying an artist for their artwork, so they are entitled to charge what they feel their art is worth, you are also free to reject their price if you don't feel its worth that to you its a 50/50 thing. Its not the same as hiring a builder to put up a wall where there's 100's of other people who could do the exact same job at the same standard (unless we are talking about flash).

Personally if getting a piece done I'd go for the artist everytime and they can charge what they want as its something I'm gonna have forever so I'd prefer to know I spent that extra couple of hundred and got a quality piece of work rather then thinking in five years time, damn why was is so cheap back then.

Also as will pointed out you can save for these things, its yours for life once you get it does it really have to be done as soon as possible or can't you wait an extra year or two?

I agree with you on some points, however I think its worth keeping in mind that a great many tattoo artists in Ireland (and over the world) do not necessarily give custom tattoos per se. They are provided with an image, stencil it and tattoo that image onto skin, thats not their art, it could possibly be described as a version but I think you get my point. Paying someone over the odds for a rendering of someone elses art has limits as to what is feasible to charge.

I dont think the issue is about being cheap either, its about paying a fair price for a job that you'd like done. In Ireland we don't have anybody of Guy Aitchisons calibre, who I hear charges $300 per hour, or Shige who only does very sizable (and costly) pieces now, but these guys are super-talented and can charge over the odds as their work is custom.

Many economic markets set upper, middle and lower price brackets for whatever product or service they offer, tattooing is no different. If an artist has the genuine skill to charge a premium rate for a premium tattoo then awesome, it means we've got a great artist not too far away, however I think that the talent currently on our fair isle is only worthy of the low to middle price bracket (some not even worth that), with a handful of notable exceptions.

For the size of our land I dont expect to be inundated with choice for world class artists but I do expect the artists we do have to be fair to the consumer.

AmyTakesPhotos

Large as in the top of my right arm about 15cm in length and 15cm in width. They dont have a website and I think thats why they are not charging alot. They arent really well known but they are in Bray and colse areas. Town charges way too much. Ive had a few pieces out there up to the point of 350 euro and i look at them and say WHY!!!!
Yes they are amazing and I love them but I cant believe I spent that much when this place I now go to would do exactly the same work.

Star Lord

Can you give us an example/photo of a piece that you've paid €70 for there?

Diceicle

AmyTakesPhotos wrote: »

Large as in the top of my right arm about 15cm in length and 15cm in width. They dont have a website and I think thats why they are not charging alot. They arent really well known but they are in Bray and colse areas. Town charges way too much. Ive had a few pieces out there up to the point of 350 euro and i look at them and say WHY!!!!
Yes they are amazing and I love them but I cant believe I spent that much when this place I now go to would do exactly the same work.

Unless you got a 15 x 15 square tattooed on your back, thats pretty cheap as tattoos go. Fair play to Oriental Tattoo if they are charging that rate and putting out quality work. Could this be the end of the old axiom 'Good tattoos arent cheap, cheap tattoos aren't good'?
To be honest though, I'm forever a skeptic, and I'll believe that this crews work is of a high a standard as you state when I see a portfolio. No offence intended.

amazingemmet

Diceicle wrote: »

I agree with you on some points, however I think its worth keeping in mind that a great many tattoo artists in Ireland (and over the world) do not necessarily give custom tattoos per se. They are provided with an image, stencil it and tattoo that image onto skin, thats not their art, it could possibly be described as a version but I think you get my point. Paying someone over the odds for a rendering of someone elses art has limits as to what is feasible to charge.

That comes under flash in my mind, when I said art I meant custom work.

Some other fyi's guy charges $400 an hour, paul booth the same, Shige will do normal sized pieces but has a long waiting list 10+months and is fully booked for his convention schedule already.

AmyTakesPhotos

<a href="http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n235/ierogirl_2006/?action=view&current=nopb-camera.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n235/ierogirl_2006/nopb-camera.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
This was 30 euro jst for the outline.

Yeah theyre class.

Star Lord

Personally, I wouldn't be too pushed on that linework. What size is it? It doesn't look that big?

hot2def

you got exactly what you paid for with that tattoo. for real.


Is anyone in this country really charging over 100 an hour in the current climate? I am a commited capitalist (read american) and believe anyone can charge whatever they can get. But I can't imagine that it would make financial sense to do so, surely they would make more money with prices comparable to their competition.

AmyTakesPhotos

Ah lads you obviously dont know anything about tattooing.
Its scabby cuz its healing.. its an outline that has to be shaded in... Its my tattoo.. were not makin judgements about my tattoos here.
If you truely want to waste your money on tattoos in town where your paying ur artist to have a smoke break between tattooing you, go ahead.
Just because somethings cheap dosent mean its bad. I always get the ink I want, the friendly service and the honesty in my tattoo parlour.
If your interested go to bray and have a look for urself.
Dont judge on a scabby tattoo.
Ur choice.
Im out of this thread.

Gauge

AmyTakesPhotos wrote: »

Ah lads you obviously dont know anything about tattooing.
Its scabby cuz its healing.. its an outline that has to be shaded in... Its my tattoo.. were not makin judgements about my tattoos here.
If you truely want to waste your money on tattoos in town where your paying ur artist to have a smoke break between tattooing you, go ahead.
Just because somethings cheap dosent mean its bad. I always get the ink I want, the friendly service and the honesty in my tattoo parlour.
If your interested go to bray and have a look for urself.
Dont judge on a scabby tattoo.
Ur choice.
Im out of this thread.

You do realise that one of the people you're responding to is a professional tattoo artist?

Toots

and a damn good one at that!

Diceicle

AmyTakesPhotos wrote: »

Ah lads you obviously dont know anything about tattooing.
Its scabby cuz its healing.. its an outline that has to be shaded in... Its my tattoo.. were not makin judgements about my tattoos here.
If you truely want to waste your money on tattoos in town where your paying ur artist to have a smoke break between tattooing you, go ahead.
Just because somethings cheap dosent mean its bad. I always get the ink I want, the friendly service and the honesty in my tattoo parlour.
If your interested go to bray and have a look for urself.
Dont judge on a scabby tattoo.
Ur choice.
Im out of this thread.

I dont think anyone is dissin' (how street am I?) your tattoo. Personally I like what you have done there. €70 is, in my opinion, fair for what you got there. I would imagine your artist will want further payment for more work yes? So its kind of erronious to say you got a tattoo 15 x 15 for 70 squid, you got an outline alright but an outline does not a tattoo make. Still I think it looks good so far, do the artists not have a myspace or bebo page?

truthinwords

You've got a **** tattoo and <snip>No need for scaremongering like that! - Damo</snip>! That place is known for tattooing underage, bad tattooing, bad hygiene and just badness in general Just chiming in on the cost of living England Vs Ireland thing surely the cost of living in London must be the same if not more then in Dublin and Frith St/The Family Business etc all charge £70-£80 per hour.

Molberts

If Amy is happy with her tattoo, that's the main thing I guess.

Personally, I chose my artist based on the work he did on my brothers sleeve. I went in for a consultation with my design idea and discussed size, placement and both our ideas for the piece. The VERY last thing discussed was price. Whatever he had quoted me, I was willing to pay. You don't go into an art gallery and ask for a "cheap" painting, you fall in love with one and then start saving,
or cry cos you'll never be able to afford it (If I ever win the lotto I'll be purchasing a piece by Graham Knuttel )

Anywhoo, back to tattoo pricing. Tbh, I actually feel bad because imo he didnt charge me enough so will be leaving a nice tip at the end .

I have three pieces by the same guy now and he's drawing up a 4th for me.

The reason I keep going back there (even though I've looked at lots of other studios) is I love the work he does.

Its a nice bonus/reassuring to hear him chew parents out of it when they phone asking to bring their underage kids in for a tattoo (I sh!t you not!) and see him talk people out of bad ideas, even if it means they walk out.

Oh and on the underage thing, when I was 14 I wanted a full back piece of a fairy >.< and a studio in town was more than happy to do it. I'm SO glad I didn't go ahead with it (got s summer job travelling around the country an sorta forgot about it) cos I love what I have now so much more. i feckin' hate fairy tattoos!

dingdong1

sorry, but the linework on that camera tattoo looks like it was laid down by michael j fox. i'm an apprentice and if i did line work like that i would be pointed in the direction of the dole queue. :eek:

Star Lord

AmyTakesPhotos wrote: »

Ah lads you obviously dont know anything about tattooing.
Its scabby cuz its healing.. its an outline that has to be shaded in... Its my tattoo.. were not makin judgements about my tattoos here.
If you truely want to waste your money on tattoos in town where your paying ur artist to have a smoke break between tattooing you, go ahead.
Just because somethings cheap dosent mean its bad. I always get the ink I want, the friendly service and the honesty in my tattoo parlour.
If your interested go to bray and have a look for urself.
Dont judge on a scabby tattoo.
Ur choice.
Im out of this thread.

You were presenting that as an example of the quality line work carried out by the studio you were recommending. You said they do quality line work. I disagreed. While the design imho is alright, the linework is far from this, it is very shaky looking and the straight lines are anything but.

Diceicle

I think the line work looks ok, I'm going on the basis / assumption that the tattoo is of a more graphic / illustrated style camera tattoo as oppossed to a photo-realistic camera tat, where the lines should be sharp and clean.

Just back on the subject of price, I think its ok to pay above the average rate for an above the average skill level tattoo. Someone who can replicate the work of Guy Aithcison for example, is worth paying top money for as his work is a cut above other Bio-style artists out there.

Irishviper

I'm getting a average size cover up in the morning here in Cork by an excellent artist who has worked on me before and I tell him what I want he gives me a price and I either haggle or if it's fair then I pay,for instance the tattoo Im getting tomorrow is a cobra head on my forearm and the cost is €170 this €100 plus a hour is just nonsence ask for a price end of.